R.C. Tennyson - Böcker

The proceedings of the 3rd International Space Conference are important since they came in the wake of the official closure of the LDEF program. The main mandate of this publication is to continue the discussions on the effects of the harsh low earth orbit (LEO) environment on materials and structures and on ways to prevent and/or reduce them. In accordance with this mandate, the main objectives and important points in the book are to promote the dissemination among research organizations and scientists of experimental data and experience gained from LDEF samples and other ground and flight experiments. The book also aims to provide a tool for engineers, material scientists, and management in space and aerospace sectors to learn about the latest advances in the protection of materials and structures in LEO environment. It provides a basis for interaction and utilization of each others' capabilities in cross-pollenization of ideas. The text reviews research and development in topics such as: effects of LEO environment on materials and structures; predictive models for interaction of materials with LEO environment; and factors and alternative ways for protection from LEO environment.

The IMCPSE-4 meeting continued the discussions started in 1992, when this conference series was started. The proceedings of IMCPSE-4 conference contain developments in the area of the effects of the space environment on materials and structures in the low Earth orbit and on ways to prevent and/or reduce them. The main mandate of the meeting, as in the past years was to: promote the dissemination of experimental data and experience among research organizations, and scientists gathered in ground and flight experiments; provide a tool for engineers, material scientists, and management in space and aerospace sectors to learn about advances in the field of material's and structures' protection in LEO environment and to provide a basis for interaction and utilization of each others' capabilities in cross pollenization of ideas; review the latest research and development in topics such as: effects of LEO environment on materials and structures, predictive models for interaction of materials with LEO environment factors, and alternative ways for protection from LEO environment.

This publication presents the proceedings of ICPMSE-4, the fourth international conference on Protection of Materials and Structures from the Low Earth Orbit Space Environment, held in Toronto April 23-24, 1998. The conference was hosted and organized by Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc. (ITL), and held at the University ofToronto's Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS). Twenty two industrial companies, six universities and fourteen government agencies from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands were represented by over 75 participants indicating increasing international co-operation in this critical arena of protection of materials in space. Twenty-seven speakers, world experts in their fields, delivered talks on a wide variety of topics on various aspects of material protection in space. Representatives from the Canadian, American, European and Israeli space agencies as well as from leading space research laboratories ofmajor aerospace industries gathered at UTIAS to discuss the latest developments in the field of material and structure protection from the harsh space environment.

This publication presents the proceedings of ICPMSE-3, the third international conference on Protection of Materials and Structures from the Low Earth Orbit Space Environment, held in Toronto April 25-26, 1996. The conference was hosted and organized by Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc, (ITL), and held at the University of Toronto's Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), where ITL is located. Twenty industrial companies, seven wliversities and eight government agencies from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and the Netherlands were represented by over 55 participants indicating increasing international co-operation in this critical arena of protection of materials in space. Twenty-five speakers, world experts in their fields, delivered talks on a wide variety of topics on various aspects of material protection in space, Representatives from the Canadian, American, European and Israeli space agencies as well as from leading space research laboratories of major aerospace industries gathered at UTIAS to discuss the latest developments in the field of material and structure protection from the harsh space environment, These proceedings are organized into four sections: a) AONOV and Radiation Effects on Materials and Structures in the Leo Space Environment; b) Interaction of Matter with the LEO Environment; c) Large Scale Coating Process Developments for Protection in LEO; d) Synthesis and Modification of Materials and Surfaces for Protection in LEO, This is the third in our on-going series of bi-annual international space materials conferences wllich began in 1992 in Toronto. Jacob Kleiman, Integrity Testing Laboratory Inc.